Bigelf Recruit Mike Portnoy For New Album

04/09/2013.

Bigelf are back! The band have recruited former Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy to play on their forthcoming album and have inked a new record deal with InsideOut Music who will be releasing the album later this year.

It appears that rumors of the bands demise were premature. Damon Fox explains why the group fell under the radar and their return:

"Finally! Bigelf lands on a planet whose atmosphere is synonymous with progressive rock and heavy metal. One of my all-time favourite quotes is, 'Be bold and mighty forces will come to your aid...' I'm ecstatic that InsideOut/Century Media and Mike Portnoy have joined 'forces' with Bigelf.

"First, I want to elaborate on what has been happening 'inside' the band since 2010, there have been numerous rumours on the internet that I fired everyone in Bigelf, this is completely untrue.

"After the juggernaut of 'Cheat The Gallows' came to a halt, the business and personal infrastructure of Bigelf imploded and an unexpected hiatus occurred leaving the band in complete disarray. A myriad of personal, financial and domestic matters had enveloped myself as well as certain members of the group. There also comes a time when deep down inside it just doesn't feel right anymore, and one has to face the music that the end is near. Transparency no longer exists and with that, clarity and perspective are lost. I'm speaking for myself now but clearly this was a mutual feeling and I believe it was obvious amongst the band. Subsequently, Ace Mark decided to move on and left Bigelf in the summer of 2011, and a request by the remaining members for a dissolution of business followed. To put it simply, we went our separate ways without malice.

"I had been keeping in close touch with Mike Portnoy after his very public and difficult departure from Dream Theater. At this time, my musical future seemed quite bleak and I was very vocal to Mike about not being able to sustain the band any longer on my own. He implored me to carry on and to not let Bigelf slip away, his encouragement and enthusiasm meant the world to me. Recognizing that I needed some new allies, I asked him if he would help fight the good fight and lend his extraordinary drum majesty to the new Bigelf record and he readily agreed. Also...sharing a passion for all things rock & roll, my good friend Duffy Snowhill climbed aboard the Viking ship for another round of thundering bass guitar and for that too I am grateful.

"I also want to acknowledge our amazing and dedicated fans that send emails all the time saying how they feel about Bigelf. These emails inspire me greatly and they're the reason that I continue to play this kind of music, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I can't wait for everyone to hear the new wondrous landscapes we've been sculpting, there are lots of surprises around the corner, stay tuned."